At IIABA's national convention, which was held in September in New York City, a panelist who had developed a successful sales plan referred to a “short-read” book entitled “Acres of Diamonds.” I'm fond of short-read books because I can see the end even before beginning, and they usually offer one or more clearly identifiable messages. This book asserted that opportunity is found not just on the other side of the world or even in the next state, but also in our own backyard. Upon further thought, I realized that we often mistake where our “backyard” is located and where in that yard the acres of diamonds really lie.

In technology, the backyard of opportunity often is the front edge of currently available options. We tend to think of things we can do as improvements, comparing where we currently are with where we could be. But if you are not on the latest available technology platforms, then you begin with a reference point that does not offer opportunities for real pioneering prog-ress. When you look ahead, you always see a place that others have already reached.

Our current agency management system software vendor was not among the first to offer real-time transaction technology. For two years, we were frustrated with our system and regularly asked the vendor for better functionality while also pressing our companies for real-time transactions. In the meantime, we updated our software with the latest releases so that, when the vendor and our companies came online with real-time transaction capability around the same time, our backyard acre of diamonds was only a short few steps away. Had we not kept our software up-to-date, we would not have been able to quickly take advantage of the opportunity presented to us.

Three years ago, we decided to combine two offices with a virtual private network for sharing client information and providing client services at both locations. During the 18-month implementation, we faced numerous setbacks, including inadequate Internet Service Provider access speed and VPN transmission failures. We overcame them, though, and successfully combined all the data in one location. Then we began comparing where we had just arrived with where we could be. New options were available to us; we could access our system over the Internet using Terminal Services and enjoy 100% workstation functionality with no geographic limits. An acre of diamonds had been right in our backyard the entire time; we just hadn't realized that worldwide access was a possibility until we reached a new forward edge.

Combining two offices with a single server added a new dimension to handling e-mail and other interoffice communications. We placed a company calendar with appointments and meetings on the server so everyone in both offices could see it and use it to coordinate their schedules.

Two years ago we supplied dual monitors for all of our staff. They immediately recognized the benefits of having a second monitor and began using them. Now that having two screens per person has become our base reference point and comfort zone, we are contemplating trying three (or more) monitors each. (Triple-monitor configurations with virtually no screen-edge bezel now appear in technology catalogs.)

For an agency to be technologically competitive and innovative, it must continuously think of the next possibility and look for the forward edge. Always remember that your backyard may contain acres of diamonds, but remain flexible when trying to identify where that yard may lie, and don't hesitate to dig test holes. Happy mining!

Edgar J. Higgins Jr., CPCU, is the owner of Progressive Management Consulting and the Thousand Islands Agency in Clayton, N.Y. Readers may contact him at [email protected].